The h2g2 Post: 08.06.20

Created Apr 14, 2020 | Updated Jun 7, 2020

A crest bearing the legend The H2G2 Post

Posted: 8^th June 2020

Bug Special!!

A little road not made of man,

Enabled of the eye,

Accessible to thill of bee,

Or cart of butterfly.

Emily Dickinson

Here it is, as promised: the Bug Issue. We thank pattipdx for that amazing spider photo. We told her we weren't pedantic about spiders not being insects. We'll take 'em all. FWR has some spiders in here, for your delectation and delight. We also have butterflies, of course, and bees, and a fly and a hornet and a firebug and a carpet beetle and some we can't identify, and some we haven't seen before. Phred Firecloud has a slide show I call 'Apocalypse Bug' which you can see by clicking or looking down on this Pliny page. There's a bug quiz, and there are bug jokes, and….well, we're just buggy. So what else is new?

This month's theme is Backyard Nature. If you haven't already, look outside and see what you find. We'll take it all: the bugs, the birds, the other critters, like that pesky red squirrel that has the architect of the Post Office's new feeder stand walking around shaking his head and muttering, 'I can't believe that squirrel got up there again.' The idea is to distract ourselves from all the worrisome reality out there by noticing the beauty that's right under our noses¹.

Is it working?
Red Squirrel Defeats Bird Feeder Again by DG

Red Squirrel Defeats Bird Feeder Again by DG

We are well aware that all is not well on planet Earth. While we rejoice in the sight of two more brave humans setting new records in space exploration (and wasn't that a thrill?), there's a lot of unhappiness down on the ground. In fact, somebody pointed out that the astronauts were probably glad to climb aboard a big, noisy rocket and escape to the ISS for awhile. We wish we could go with them and grow some zucchini in space, because…well, it's not all birds and roses. As Tom Lehrer famously said, 'What nature doesn't do to us will be done by our fellow man.'

Your Editor hopes to add a tiny bit to the understanding rather than cacophony out there. See my Op/Ed in this issue about how we go about getting what we want as a society.

Avoid viruses, friends. Wear your masks, wash your hands. Be kind to one another. Love your neighbour as yourself. Listen patiently. Speak your words wisely and in season. Have thoughts to share with us? Send them to the Post. And may this week hold good things for you all.